Online Reporter
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Matabeleland South Bureau
A 34-YEAR-OLD Gwanda man will spend 15 years in jail for raping his 12-year-old niece.
The man, who cannot be named for ethical reasons, pleaded not guilty to rape but was convicted due to overwhelming evidence by Gwanda Regional Magistrate, Ms Sithembiso Ndebele.
He was sentenced to an effective 15-year jail term.
Prosecuting, Ms Zanele Sithole, said the man raped the complainant on several occasions while he had visited her home.
It was the State’s case that on 24 April the man arrived at the complainant’s home where he found her playing with her friends while her mother who is the man’s sister was not around.
He instructed the other children to go and play and remained alone with the complainant whom he took into a bedroom hut where he raped her and warned her against revealing the matter before leaving the homestead.
The State, through Ms Sithole, told the court that during the month of May the uncle raped the girl on two other occasions after he had found her home alone.
She said the matter came to light when the girl told her friends what her uncle had been doing to her.
One of the friends reported to her mother and the matter was reported to the police resulting in the arrest of the uncle.
In passing her sentence the magistrate said she had taken into account the huge age difference between the girl and her uncle, which is 22 years.
She said the girl is 12 years old making her vulnerable and that she could suffer trauma that could last a lifetime because of the man’s actions.
Ms Ndebele said the man was supposed to assume a role of protecting his niece but instead went on to harm her.
“The accused person is an uncle to the complainant, which means he was supposed to protect her but went on to harm her.
There is also a huge age difference of 22 years between the complainant and accused person,” she said.
“The mother of the complainant indicated that the incident has left the complainant traumatised and this experience may leave her emotionally scarred for the rest of her life.”
In his defence the man said his sister had fabricated the allegations as they had a misunderstanding over sharing of livestock, which belonged to their father.
He said his sister was bitter as she wanted goats, which he had taken that belonged to their late father.
@DubeMatutu
